Celestial and Tortured
by LadyLiliaAnne
Summary: When Hermione Granger wakes up the morning after a party in the bed of the enemy what will happen to the life she understands and will her 8th year be filled with romantic drama?
1. Chapter 1

Hermione woke to the sounds of hushed snores and deep breathing. This would be like the beginning of a normal morning in the tower of Hogwarts that had become her second home. She lay on her front, the bedding feeling silkier and of better quality than normal, something was different. Suddenly as the effects of sleep wore away into the recesses of her brain she understood and jolted in surprise. Holding her breath she reached her fingers to the side of her ribs. No bra. She ran her fingers to her hipbones. No underwear. Something else dawned upon her as she lay in the dark. A weight was pressing against the small of her naked back. She was in bed with _someone_.

This wasn't her first time but she had never been so stupid as to sleep with someone in her common room, her roommate Lavender Brown would never let her hear the end of it. With bated breath she turned slowly so as not to disturb the person lying next to her in the bed. His breath stirred her frizzy brown curls and she could feel his fair, downy arm hair against her bare back. The thick curtains of the Hogwarts four poster beds were so thick that her only sign that it was early morning was the magical cockerel crow that professor McGonagall channelled to each dormitory at dawn so that no matter the season they had a sign should they wish it.

After the war several changes had taken place at Hogwarts and she marvelled at the freedom that the eighth years were allowed. The restriction upon boys entering the girls' dormitory had been lifted so long as verbal consent was offered. Hermione had given her consent at the beginning of the year for both Harry and Ron to enter her rooms should they need her at any time in the year and so far that worked fine so long as they knocked before opening the door. If they barged in or if Hermione was not present the stairs once again turned into a steep spiral slide and deposited them rather unceremoniously into the common room. Ron and Hermione had agreed upon their return to Hogwarts in the September, after helping fix the damage of the war that they would return to being only good friends, as a relationship had not really suited either of them very well. At the thoughts of her friends she once again tried to discern the identity of her mysterious partner, would it be one of their Gryffindor roommates? However the light was so dim that she could not see him. She moved a little more so that she could crack a curtain open when she heard him mumble next to her.

She flicked the curtain quickly and, although it shut once again, that one moment of blinding light gave her a recognisable feature that made her insides squirm. She shut her eyes and shook her head. _No,no,no! Please, dear God, let it be a trick of the light and let it be Seamus or Neville or Dean. Anyone but him!_ She took a shuddering gasp as she opened her eyes.

"Malfoy?" she whispered in slight disgust.

"Granger?" he whispered back, cementing in her mind his identity. She took a deep breath ready to scream but before she could his firm hand covered her mouth.

"No Granger. Do you really want everyone to know we are in bed together?" he asked incredulously. Hermione shook herself for her momentary lapse in judgement. She thought back to the night before and found only a fuzzy blur of colours.

When Malfoy finally released her mouth after she nodded that she was not going to imitate a banshee she spoke quietly while trying to scoot a little further away from him, aware that his arm was still lazily thrown across her waist as if he was unaware of the invasion of her personal bubble.

"How much did I drink last night? Do you remember anything?" She asked him. Through a sudden fear of capture in enemy territory Malfoy only shook his head not daring to whisper back. He had no idea where he was but if he was in a Gryffindor's dormitory he would most likely be carted off to Azkaban for questioning about his tainting of The Golden Lioness. Potter and the Weasel would kill him in the most painful ways imaginable and then find some way to bring him back so that they could do it again. This was not good and her could tell this was going to be a major problem for him.

"We both must have got really intoxicated but I have no hangover." Draco stated quietly trying to sound more professional as if this wasn't getting to him at all. Hermione said something about her hangover prevention spell she had come up with when in complete exasperation at Ron's drinking phase to celebrate the end of the war. Draco tried to peer down at the witch next to him in hopes of looking at her face to see if she looked any different. Blaise had said that when her had slept with the girl he loved, and hoped to propose to when he had a job that proved to her muggle father and witch mother that his death eater days were well and truly behind him, she had seemed to radiate more hope and warmth than the sun ever could. Why did he suddenly hope that when he saw Granger she would have changed in that way? That would mean that he would want to prove his worth to her muggle parents and could he ever truly disrespect his father's memory in that way? _The war is over. If you marry a pure blood the ministry will probably sterilize you both in fear that you'll procreate like bunnies and create the new dark side._ A voice had developed in Draco after the war that told him when he was thinking too dangerously. He felt his face drain a little when he realised that the voice sounded very much like that of a bossy know-it-all mudbl-_you can't say that anymore!_ Draco grimaced.

A loud snorting snore ripped through the tension between them both and Draco felt a smirk curling his features. Goyle. They were in the Slytherin common room.

"Granger?" she whispered that she was listening, "I know where we are and I know how to get you out."

"Get me out? You mean I'm in your common room?" her voice rose several octaves and he suddenly felt his stomach sink to his toes and his skin crawl as if she had cast agaumenti upon him and doused him in an icy blast of water. Hermione Granger, the greatest witch of their age and a war hero, was afraid of him. _She's in a room full of supposedly ex-Death Eaters._ That voice reminded him.

"It's ok. I can get you out." He flicked the curtain aside and checked that his roommates were asleep. Picking out each of their distinctive snores he peered around for some discarded clothes and saw some black material peeking from under his bed.

"Did you wear black last night?" Hermione nodded as she clutched the green silk cover his mother had bought him to her chest. He picked it up and frowned as he noticed that it was ripped. "Can you mend clothes?" When she shook her head he turned and picked up one of his best set of robes and her underwear and lacy bra, he pinched the latter between thumb and finger in hopes of avoiding as much embarrassment as possible. He handed her the underwear and she turned from him to retain as much modesty as she could. As she did so, keeping her feet tucked up so as not to disrupt the curtains on her side, Draco let his gaze drift over her pale skin. The Hogwarts robes really did her no justice. Her pale legs were slender and dusted with light freckles like her shoulders and arms. Her frizzy hair looked like a halo as the green tinted light from the lake rolled over it, drawing his attention to the natural curl to her hair that he had never noticed before. When she was dressed again she turned to him and asked what they were going to do next. He heard Blaise mumble and knew that he would have to make her leave quickly but also that he couldn't leave her mostly naked.

"Put this robe on and shove all of your hair in the hood." She nodded as she took the fine material in her hand. This was one of his best robes, she could tell because there was a minute Malfoy crest of arms in the inside and the embroidery alone must have taken months, not to mention that the material was such good quality she doubted that she could afford an inch square of it let alone enough material to make a large robe with hood.

She did as he bade and hid her hair beneath the glorious material. As he sat on the bed facing her in a pair of boxers that she didn't remember him wearing before she let her hidden eyes rake over his Quidditch ready body. His body was made of fine sinew, a perfect Seeker build. She had watched him fly before, astonished by his ability to make it look graceful, she couldn't raise a foot in the air on a broom. As she gazed at his muscular arms the colour of milk she saw it. The Dark Mark. Without thinking she reached out and grazed the marked skin with her fingertips. It was raised and bumpy like it had been made by repeatedly carving it into the skin of his forearm.

He lurched away almost falling from the bed but catching himself before he could. She expected fury but he looked away with his eyes glistening in the light. His platinum hair falling in his eyes without the gel the former Draco Malfoy had used so much. The sun shone from behind him but was slightly dimmer that the autumnal sun always seemed in Gryffindor tower. He looked celestial and tortured at the same time and Hermione felt a lurch in her ribs. Could she actually be feeling sympathy for him? _No, that's absurd._

"Come on Granger." He breathed. One of the boys was rustling a lot more and she could tell he was scared that someone would find out. Was she that repugnant? He took her hand and took her to the dormitory door where he grabbed one of the cloaks hung on an old hook on the wall. Swiftly they walked in almost companionable silence through the Slytherin common room and through many of the corridors. Soon Hermione felt she needed to speak.

"I'm sorry." She saw Malfoy's eyes widen beside her and smiled in the depths of the cloak.

"What on earth are you apologising to _me_ for?" he said.

"You were tortured weren't you." She said it matter-of-factly. "But no one cares because they think you chose your path. I just wanted you to know that some one cares. Bellatrix tortured me but you were at the mercy of her _and_ Voldemort for a year if not more." He looked at her in awed silence trying to find her chocolate eyes in the depths of the hood. Just as he had formulated a suitable answer, containing just enough snide comments to still retain some Malfoy charm, she stopped and gestured to a painting of an abnormally large woman dressed in a gown of pale pink.

Malfoy wanted to show his gratitude but didn't know what to do about it. As he saw that the Fat Lady hadn't been woken yet this morning he dared to lower her hood. She looked a little scared and her eyes were large. He could imagine losing himself in their depths. _But that was stupid. He used to be a Death Eater and this is HERMIONE GRANGER! _He took her cheeks in his hands softly and kissed her forehead lightly.

Before she could say anything he was gone. _ Had she dreamed it?_


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione stood blinking in front of the Fat Lady's portrait for a few minutes gazing down the corridor where her enemy had fled. Her forehead seemed to tingle as if his touch had left a trail of fire dancing upon her skin. Would one drunken night that neither of them could seem to remember really change anything between them?_ No, that can't be what is happening._ She chastised herself. _He just must be shaken by what happened and that is why he is acting completely out of character. _Shaking her head, in a way reminiscent of Luna when she moaned about Nargles, Hermione tapped the portrait lightly in an effort to wake the Fat Lady.

The woman in pink opened one bleary eye and took in the ruffled appearance of the 8th year Gryffindor before her. Violet had left not long ago and they had been arguing the merits and downfall of allowing the 8th year students more freedom. She could not deny that they had all done marvelously in the war and deserved to finish an education so as to earn a place in any wizarding society, but if this freedom meant that their sleeping pattern was to become more erratic than ever she disagreed with it wholeheartedly.

"Noddlespurt." Hermione said as she tried to flatten her considerable amount of frizzy ringlets.

"You had more luck fighting You-Know-Who than you do of flattening that bird's nest darling." The Fat Lady smoothed her own glossy black hair as her portrait swung forward to permit her entry. Whispering a few muggle swear words, Hermione crossed the threshold hoping for a few hours in the enveloping folds of her blankets and the soft feather of her bed.

Apparently waking in the same bed of Draco Malfoy was not to be the end of her torment that day. The mutterings of the Fat Lady were replaced with a hushed yet frantic conversation in the Gryffindor common room. As the warm, red room came into her view she saw her dearest friends huddled together around a large segment of parchment.

"Well, she can't have gone far." The gangly redhead whispered to his two companions. "We would know if something was wrong with her. Wouldn't we?" he scratched his red ear nervously and his gaze flicked rapidly from his sister and best friend.

"Neither of you saw her leave? The party wasn't that big." Ginny's gaze, though hard as rock, softened slightly when directed towards Harry. Even when angry she could never get close to loathing him, her brother on the other side could easily become a training dummy for her famous Bat-Bogey spell if he didn't think of a useful idea.

"That party was the largest inter-house party Hogwarts had held since the Yule Ball and you know it Ginevra Weasley." Hermione spoke at a normal level, which when compared to the conspiratorial whispers of her friends, sounded monstrous in the empty common room. The trio jumped at the abrupt noise and spun to face her. Three incredulous faces looked her up and down. Harry noticed the rich material draped around her shoulders. Ginny noticed her ruffled curls. Ron on the other hand blushed beetroot and averted his eyes as he noticed that beneath the black robe she wore only a lacy pair of knickers and a matching bra.

With as much nonchalance as possible Hermione crossed the common room, with their eyes following her passage, and tried not to run to the foot of the stairs. Above anything she wanted to avoid the awkward conversation until she had fabricated a suitable cover story for her absence and attire. She knew that if she could just make it to the stairs and ascend towards the girl's dormitory then two thirds of her friends would not be able to follow. Ginny and Harry both worked out her motive and moved to block her path, Ron was still too stunned to react quickly.

After several long moments of prolonged silence and steely glares Ginny could take it no longer.

"Hermione Jean Granger! Where in the name of Merlin's saggy left buttock have you been?" If any one in the Gryffindor dormitory had slept past the cockerel they would now be awake. Hermione cringed slightly and wrapped the cloak firmly around herself at the shuffling of feet on the stairs above.

"Ginny, I'm rather chilly here and I do not necessarily want to tell you and Harry at the same time so please, let me go and change. You may follow me if you wish." Ginny stepped aside and allowed Hermione to go on ahead of her. When they had successfully reached the door to the 8th year's dormitory Hermione peeked around the door. Lavender lay curled under the covers but Hermione did not want to risk her overhearing their conversation. Holding a finger to her lips she beackoned ginny over towards her own russet bed. Once they were both seated on the feather matteress Hermione drew the curtains of the fourposter bed and cast a quiet muffliato in Lavender's direction.

Now that nothing could delay Hermione from addressing the problem at hand she turned to the eager red head. Hermione let the cloak fall onto her bed and roughly pulled a maroon jumper over her mussed hair and soft jeans over her bare legs.

"Ginny." Hermione started avoiding her friend's gaze by playing with the exquisite material in her hands. "Last night I slept with someone. I don't want to tell you who." She hurriedly stated as she say her friend's mouth open to speak. "You'd only tease me. I do want to ask your advice though." Ginny nodded encouragingly at this train of thought. "When I woke up this morning I had no memory of last night and neither did he. What should I do? Do you think we could have cast a spell so that we didn't remember it to avoid any awkwardness?" she was beginning to ramble and ginny decided to step in.  
"Look Hermione, would you introduce him to us?" Hermione looked exasperatedly at her friend.

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, if not that might give you a clue as to why you can't remember. Maybe you should look in the library. Or talk to him?" Hermione was staring at some embroidery in the fabric that was turned away from Ginny.  
"Okay. I am going to talk to him and maybe we can sort something out." As they cleared the air of her earlier spell and Hermione hopped on one foot while enclosing the other with a sock Hermione let out a tremulous "Merlin! Harry and Ron."

Ginny could see her friends discomfort with the situation and decided that she would stop them from hassling her. She descended the stairs first and as expected her brother and boy friend both stood at the bottom waiting for Hermione.

"I refuse you to ask her anything." They began to argue but her icy glare froze their words on their tongues. The quartet walked in silence to the Great Hall for breakfast. Hermione sat on the side of the Gryffindor table that allowed her the view of the rest of the Hall and Ginny sat next to her. It did not escape her notice, therefore, when her intelligent friend almost overfilled her goblet so that the pumpkin juice threatened to spill and stain the table. Hermione's gaze was distracted from her eggs and tomatoes all morning and although Ginny strived to discern exactly on whom it was focused, she could not decide whether Hermione was staring at the Ravenclaw or Slytherin table.

When Harry suggested that they make their way to lesson Ginny notice Hermione seem to rush to grab her bag.

"Hermione, didn't you say you had to talk to Professor Trelawney before your charms lesson?" Hermione's head whipped in her direction in confusion and then she seemed to understand what her best friend had just given her.

"Oh yes! Thank you Ginny I completely forgot. Harry, if I'mlate could you make my excuses to Professor Flitwick." Before she had even finished her sentence she turned and bolted into the main entrance.

Her head whipped from side to side, her frizzy mane hitting someone in the face in the process. Nowhere in the large crowd could she spot a platinum head when she swore that he had left only seconds before herself. She began to head in the direction of charms, almost sprinting up the marble steps. When she had taken only a few steps down the hallway on her way to charms a strong hand grasped the back of her cloak. Sweeping her wand from her pocket in one swift movement she made to jinx her attacker when a hand came down over her mouth and an arm held her close to a warm, muscular body. The swift footsteps so characteristic of Professor McGonagall carried on through the hallway and Hermione understood. Re-sheathing her wand she turned to the man who had dropped his had from her lips.

"You really must break the habit of grabbing my mouth, I do hope not to want to scream every time that we encounter each other." She leaned against the stone wall and crossed her arms. A smirk spread across his face and he nodded slowly as if considering her statement.

"Perhaps but if we just met in public and conversed I would risk being jinxed by the overprotective Weasel and the Boy-Who-Lived." Hermione smiled in return and stepped forward slightly.

"Do you remember anything?" her eyes widened as she tried to discern so sort of emotion in her features.

His eyes looked away from her as if her innocence burned him and she noticed how the little light cast long shadows of his eyelashes over his pale cheekbones. He really was rather perfect looking if you detached his looks from his horrendous personality.

"No." Steel grey met warm chocolate and the silver swirled as his heart broke. His only chance to ever spend time with the most brilliant witch of their age was gone; he would never be able to look back on the one time that their worlds collided. Y_ou don't deserve to have that memory. Any connection to you would only sully her._


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione shifted slightly in the stone archway that he had dragged her into. There was a small breeze that lifted all of the hairs on her arms and she allowed herself to look upon his chiselled features, thrown into stark contrast by the minimal lighting, and she realised how she did not feel repulsion. _That's not a good thing._ After she realised that she was not feeling revulsion stirring in the pit of her stomach for the enemy of her school years she could not ignore the small distance between their bodies and the sudden feeling that the breeze acted like dragon's breath and set her nerve endings alive.

"Do you want to remember?" Her question was so quiet that Draco was not sure if it was a question to herself. This theory was squashed when she looked up at him through her eyelashes, throwing jagged shadows across her cheekbones in the low lighting and the chocolate of her eyes swirling like a churning potion boiling from the heat of her secret question. He hardly dared to answer her for the fear that no sound would come from him and he would be forever muted by this frizzy haired witch who's body was so close-_no! Do not give into the temptation, you're a slimy coward with slick hair and there is nothing that she could gain from that memory._

With his guts churning like a crate of **blast ended skrewts** and all his better judgment telling him otherwise Draco Malfoy made the first courageous move in his entire life. He nodded. Hermione let out a bashful smile and turned her eyes away as a slight blush tinted her porcelain cheeks. She was glad of his decision. Before he could think twice about it he handed Hermione a piece of blank parchment tapped it with his wand and ran away to his class.

Hermione looked down at the parchment in her hand. The corners were curled slightly and the colour was lighter than fresh parchment, it must have spent many hours in the sun. _What was that all about?_ They had agreed that they both wanted to remember what had happened but why had he suddenly left? Hermione shrugged and hurried to the Charms classroom after a swift look at her mother's watch on her wrist.

Charms had only begun a few minutes before Hermione burst into the class. She went straight to the Professor and apologised before heading towards her usual seat next to Harry and Ron. They both smiled and she could tell that they were itching to ask her what she had to talk to Trelawney for. She didn't even take Divination any more. She grimaced slightly and tried to change it into a smile so as not to hurt their feelings.

Luckily for Hermione Professor Flitwick took no time to describe the difficult charms that they would be practicing that day. Hermione had learnt this spell several days beforehand and decided to ask the professor if she could do some extra NEWT study in the library. Flitwick looked down at his favourite student and then at the pillow jigging on the wooden table, never before had he seen one of the school pillows Irish dance quite so proficiently. He nodded and allowed her to leave.

Hermione threw a sad sort of smile inhere friends' direction. She was glad that she didn't have to confront them just yet. As the heavy door shut closed behind her cutting of Professor Flitwick's scolding of Seamus, Hermione heard a faint jingling emitting from one of her pockets. She knew her mobile didn't working Hogwarts yet that was all she could think that made that noise. She dug around in the large pockets of her school robes and finally emerged with the offending object clutched tightly in her fist. The piece of parchment clamped in her fist had stopped making the noise when her fingertips had made contact with it.

A single line of cursive script had appeared on the parchment. _Enchanted parchment, very clever Malfoy. _Hermione thought.

**_Granger, I agree that we need to remember what happened and I think I have formulated an idea. Come to the library now; sod whatever lesson you're meant to be in, this is more important._**

**_D.M._**

Hermione glared down at the note. What if she had needed to be in the lesson? _Does that matter? You're free now._ In the end her curiosity won the little battle and she rushed in the direction of the library, her brain switching to other things as her feet carried her along the familiar hallways without too much thought. Could he really have a solution for their sudden amnesia?

Draco muttered something about 'blasted Gryffindor goody two shoes' as he paced angrily in the secluded back row of bookshelves. He knew that Hermione would come here to study every day and hoped she would take the initiative to make her way here sooner rather than later.

He had found a potion that they could use to restore their memory but they would both have to consent for it to work. As he thought about this a hideous idea popped into his head. In the night that he could not remember had they cast any charms to prevent conception? Maybe they would have to sort that out today just in case. He hit his palm against his forehead in frustration at his memory loss; _it can't be accidental if you both have no memory. Maybe it was just that terrible that you begged to forget it so that your sexual prowess would not be questions._ Draco shook that idea away. That couldn't possible be the reason, could it?

Before Draco could dwell on this too much he felt a hand tap his shoulder and he managed not to jump a foot in the air at the sudden contact. He spun to find Granger looking extremely awkward. She had her hands holding her hair down flatter and her cheeks puffed out.

So you, err, found something for our, erm, situation?" she let out an awkward smile and looked up form the ground to meet his eyes. The second of direct eye contact sent chills running over his body and his eyes flickered away. Again his voice seemed to have died in a submissive act to her presence. A simple nod would have to do for now. He would have to speak soon though.

They walked over to the table on which sat the oldest book Hermione had ever seen. As he led the way she let her gaze travel over the tension in his shoulder muscles and the places that his well fitting robes seemed to stretch thin over his shoulder blades. Before her hand could betray her and reach out to smooth away the tension he turned and gestured towards the potion book. This did look like a solution but they would both have to brew the potion. She would have to give up her secret potion making area in Moaning Mertle's bathroom. Did she want the memory that much? _Yes._

"Err, Granger?" Hermione turned to see Malfoy drumming his fingers on his biceps as he crossed his arms. His face was turning a shade of red she had never witnessed on his face; it rivalled Ron's blushing ears. She raised and eyebrow and he dropped his gaze. "Have you, you know, cast any spells in case, you know, we kinda, erm, well we, have you, cast and spells in case we…? She stared blankly at him as his face grew more and more beetroot. At her questioning gaze he took out the enchanted parchment and quickly wrote.

**_Have you cast and contraceptive spells? I'm guessing that we did, in fact, _****_sleep_****_ together._**

It was now Hermione's turn to blush and she quickly shook her head. She hadn't thought about it.

"Do you want me to?" he sounded much more gentle than she would have expected. She knew that her hands were suddenly shaking and she didn't want him to see that. After a moment of deliberation she nodded.

From his pocket he draw his wand in one swift movement, Harry had returned his wand to him. As he muttered the spells she allowed herself to watch his mouth move and his brow furrow in concentration. Why had she never noticed how beautiful he was when they had shared classes for years? _Because he's always been a slimy Slytherin git who picked on you!_ Did that matter now, after so much had changed? She wasn't so sure. Maybe this memory would help.

When the spells were finished they shared an awkward silence as he stowed his wand backing his robes in case Madame Pince turned the corner and thought that students were duelling in her library.

"Meet up tonight to start planning for the potion?" Hermione said suddenly, her business head on. When he nodded she carried on, "Meet me by the Black Lake at 11.30 and we can start planning how we'll get hold of ingredients and plan out the actual making as we both have to be present." Malfoy nodded again and she took it as her sign to leave.

_Would she regret this?_


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: sorry that it's been so long you guys. I really didn't mean to leave it this long but due to a new laptop for birthday I am hoping to upload loads more. Sorry I left them floating. Also sorry for the length, it's not huge ****L****family down and work doesn't bode well for fanfiction. Sorry guys. Will update again soon.**

Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor common room trying to think of a reason to blame her imminent absence that night. She couldn't believe that she had conversed civilly with Draco Malfoy and not wanted to murder him, that was an improvement. She had only ever slept with Ron and Seamus, a mistake towards the beginning of the year that she preferred to ignore.

One question kept circling her thoughts and she seemed unable to satisfy herself with any answer. What could possibly have happened to make her agree with Draco Malfoy, of all people, to erase a section of her memory? Ever since she was unable to find her parents she had vowed to never meddle with memory again.

Hermione had been distracted the rest of the day and couldn't believe that she had let her standards slip over bloody Draco Malfoy! The slimy ferret had managed to weasel his way into her thoughts and after her specifically trying to throw him out of them.

She arrived at the Fat Lady far too swiftly for Hermione's taste and she found herself staring vacantly into the painted blue eyes of Violet, the Fat Lady's friend.

"Where is the Fat Lady?" Hermione asked, feeling horrendous for not knowing her real name. Violet turned her nose up at her and turned slightly away, crossing her arms.

"Wouldn't you just like to know. I would like to know why you were wearing Malfoy robes this morning."

"Noddlespurt." Hermione said, knowing that if she gave any answer to Violet apart from the allotted password she would be creating a gossip storm. If one wished to spread a rumor in a matter of seconds the Fat Lady and Violet were proud to say that they could achieve such a feat.

Violet grudging swung forward and Hermione sighed as she walked into the common room. The fire was crackling and for once she had no studying and homework to do. She had decided that she would sit in front of the fire and then feign panic due to some forgotten homework and rush off to the 'library'. Not very out of character and unlikely to cause uproar amongst her friends.

Just as she flumped onto the sofa and put her feet up on the pouf she heard Harry and Ginny enter the common room. Ginny swearing loudly at Violet caused several first years to squeal and run from the room. It was always best to avoid the fiery redhead when she was angry incase a bat bogey hex went array.

"Are you going to come down to dinner with us Hermione?" Ginny asked. Hermione, feeling slightly guilty that she would be missing the opportunity to see her friends quite a lot soon nodded and affirmative and followed Ginny in the directions of the girls dormitories to change into her casual clothes. Hermione had been looking forward to dinner the whole walk back to the common room, her stomach had growled angrily at the hasty breakfast she had eaten earlier.

Ginny didn't talk to her the whole walk down and Harry seemed determined to avoid her gaze.

"Your mystery boyfriend has a good taste in cloaks. I particularly liked the _embroidery._'

Hermione gulped.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I don't own Harry Potter. Sad isn't it. Also sorry the last chapter was pitifully short. Hopefully this is a little bigger. Sorry if it seemed slightly rushed or filler-y. I am currently trying to squeeze this in between the work I'm actually meant to be doing. Yay. I am going to try and regularly upload every Monday or Tuesday as my friend wants to act as my beta and will read it on Mondays for me :D. (Shout out to Meggy!) so, hopefully more regular and lengthy in the future. Yay. Sorry for long AN. Love you xx **

**AN:Should be fixed. that went real whammy. sorry hope it's better? (had a little technical prob)**

Hermione stopped at the door to the great hall, her mouth hanging open at Harry and Ginny. The red head seemed to hold fire in her gaze as she glared in Hermione's direction. How had she over looked that detail? She blamed it on the traumatic events of recent days.

"Ginny.." Hermione cautioned.

"Don't worry, I won't say any more now." Ginny stormed ahead and rushed into the great hall after her. Ginny knew. How would she get away tonight now? She couldn't leave Draco, the potion had to be started together.

"Ginny, I promise to explain this all to you, but I cant yet." Hermione whispered in her friends ear as she gripped her shoulder firmly before she could sit too close to her brother or boyfriend for Hermione's words to be overheard.

Ginny contemplated Hermione's face for a moment before giving a swift nod and sitting on the bench.

"Potatoes Ronald?" Ginny muttered tersely and Ron nodded before taking a large helping. When it was clear that both boys were engrossed in their dinners Ginny turned to her friend.

"Hermione, what the hell happened?" Ginny's voice was so low that she knew no one would be able to hear her.

"It's extremely complicated Gin and I don't know all the details myself yet. I need to meet with him a few times before I can know what happened enough to tell you." Ginny looked on almost uncomprehending.

"Meet with him? Hermione, can you hear yourself?" She had forgotten to lower her voice this time.

"Ginny!" Hermione reprimanded, feeling the eyes of Lavender and Parvati eagerly watching, waiting for juicy gossip.

"MALFOY!" Ginny bellowed. The entire Great Hall heard this. Many not knowing what had caused the outburst, in fact even Harry and Ron had not made the connection, unwilling to ever imagine that that connection could be possible. When Flitwick had loudly asked Hagrid how his new batch of cabbages was doing the hall fell back into comfortable chatter. Hermione's face was still lightly flushed and her eyes had only just stopped stinging.

"I've got to go. I'll probably see you in the morning. Last minute homework." Ron and Harry looked on puzzled as Ginny grasped Hermione's robe sleeve and tried to yank her back into her seat. A glare to match the kiss of a Dementor was gracing the usually mirth filled face of Ginny Weasley. Harry had never seen his girlfriend look more like her mother. It was scary.

To the boys' astonishment Hermione hissed angrily and ripped her sleeve from the red head's grasp.

"Mind your own business, I can handle myself perfectly fine, thank you very much. I don't need you to tell me what I can and can't do Ginevra Weasley. Don't stick your nose where it's not wanted or needed." Ginny drew back in horror, her mouth agape as she watched Hermione stalk towards the door of the Great Hall.

Draco had been watching the commotion at the Gryffindor table long before his name had been screamed out. He feared that the Weaslette had worked out who Hermione had been with. He should have given her the plainest robe that he owned, that wouldn't have held his family crest, and then he wouldn't have to feel constant paranoia that a bat bogey hex would be awaiting him around every corner of the castle.

Even from the distance between them Draco could see the agitation plain on Hermione's face.

"I'm going to throw up if I have to watch you two simper over each other any more." Draco growled at Nott and Pansy. They had been all over each other from the beginning of the year and truly their constant connection at the mouth did manage to put you off your dinner quite easily.

Draco rose to his feet as Blaise chuckled in his direction. Hermione must have left just as his gaze left her. He rushed to leave but tried to look casual about it. Too many people had been casting their gaze between both Hermione and Draco after the Weaslette's little outburst.

As Draco passed though the ancient doors he saw her. She had obviously slowed her pace considerably; her shoulders were hunched and shaking slightly. Draco's swaggering walk faltered, was she _crying_?

Hermione rubbed at her eyes, she had never disagreed with Ginny like that before. Before she could dwell on it any longer she heard someone clear their throat. She jumped before turning to see a familiar platinum head. Hastily swiping at her eyes yet again Hermione smiled at him.

"Shall we get a-planning and a-brewing?" Draco raised a quizzical eyebrow before nodding. She turned and led the way into the grounds. They had meant to meet later to plan but maybe if they started early then they could begin the potion tonight.

"Granger?" Draco asked as they passed a standing stone, she had hit him across the face here before.

"Malfoy?" She didn't know why she was being deliberately difficult but it seemed to make her feel better to do so.

"Granger, wait a minute." Hermione paused, huffing loudly and stomping a foot.

"What is it Malfoy, you want to rub it in my face that I am a stupid person who forgot the intelligence of my friends and ended up risking harsh judgment just because I don't think that solving this mystery is a horrendous idea? Or would you rather point out that we are meeting at least four hours prior to when we were meant to? Or is it that I may have in fact lowered myself by getting drunk and sleeping with a slimy Slytherin git?!" Hermione's chest was heaving now and tears were falling steadily from her eyes.

Draco's eyes had flashed dangerously at her last comment.

"I was just going to point out that your Weaslette friend is headed this way. But if you believe that spending time with a 'slimy Slytherin git' is too much of a strain on you glorious Gryffindor pride I won't stay around any longer to make you 'lower' yourself. Find the bloody memory cure yourself." Hermione whirled, first to see her friend storming across the grounds towards her and then back again to watch the Slytherin storming in the opposite direction.

"Oh, and another thing Granger," Draco turned on his heel, "I can't hack with a gap in my memory. So, I will just have to meet you when your bodyguards are asleep. See you at 11.30 as previously planned." And Draco Malfoy was gone.

"Hermione Jean Granger! You have some serious explaining to do!" Ginny was within earshot and Hermione knew now, this would be a


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry its late guys. Once again, real life interferes. :D also, do not own Harry Potter, big surprise. Also sorry. It's a small filler. Next one will be juicy promise but this was to make up for falling behind already. Will update soon. Love.**

"Not now Ginny!" Hermione roared. She didn't want to do this now, why couldn't Ginny just leave it well enough alone.

"You're leaving us to go talk to Ferret-face?" Ginny asked incredulously.

Hermione looked at her friend, she could feel her lip quivering. She hated people seeing her cry. Hermione turned away from her friend and looked skyward hoping to stem the tears. But all she saw was a glimpse of platinum blonde hair bobbing away across the grounds.

Ginny watched on as her friend turned from her and suddenly dropped to the floor as if her legs were knocked out from under her. Ginny rushed forwards, previous malice forgotten as the sobs wracked Hermione's body and it seemed as if earlier quarrels lost their meaning. She had not seen her cry like this before.

"Hermione?" her voice was softer now as she tried to learn the truth while not scaring her friend away. "What is going on with you?"

But Hermione could not betray Malfoy like that; this wasn't only her story to tell. This was Malfoy's as much as her own. He may well have a reputation for bedding any girl possible but he also had a kind of pride that she did not want to injure.

"I..I ca..can't t-tell you Ginny." Hermione sobbed out. Ginny looked skeptically at her friend but decided it was better to leave it to her to handle for now. She would delve into this matter later and try to find out as much as she could then. For now, let Hermione think she had dropped the idea.

Hermione looked up at Ginny through her eyelashes, the tears had been coming anyway, would she be hit with a bat bogey hex if Ginny ever learnt that she had milked the tears a little bit to make her back off and stop questioning her on her actions. Maybe she would also let her go to bed early so that she could sleep a little before she would have to wake up. She was glad that the magic of the castle didn't break her alarm clock, a small muffliato on the other girls' bed and she could set the alarm for anytime of day and only wake herself. No one would have to know she was sneaking out of the Gryffindor girls' common room to meet secretly in the library and abandoned girls bathroom with a Slytherin. Now what did that sound like? Her mother would tell her off so badly if she ever found out.

Ginny gently lead her back towards the castle and she turned slightly to look over her shoulder in the direction Malfoy had walked.

Draco kicked a pebble sullenly into the lake, liking the way the ripples made the lake wobble. What would his father say if he found out that his only son and heir had been cavorting with a muggleborn. He would probably have been burned from the family tree like Sirius had been. Now that the war was over he was glad, and quite frankly astonished, that Potter had let him enter his house, once belonging to Sirius, so that he could take any family artifacts if he had wanted them. Malfoy had been stunned, but really, after Potter's words that freed his mother and himself he had learned to stop trying to guess what that 4 eyed freak would do next.

To say he was relieved that his father still resided in Azkaban was an understatement. The Malfoy name had been thoroughly dragged through the mud and anything her could do to try and rebuild it would be done. This he had vowed to himself. He had hoped to talk to the golden trio in the hope of asking if his mother could arrange a meeting with her estranged sister now that she was allowed to leave the manor without her husband.

Perhaps this situation could be useful to his mother, which would surely make up for anything negative about this whole…predicament.

Did this mean he would be using Granger? No. he would ask her about Andromeda straight away this evening as they slink through the deserted bookcases of the library to try and find more information on the potions that they both believed would answer their question. He would find his memories no matter what happened.

Of this he was sure.


End file.
